Riker blew out a breath and looked at the chronometer on one of the bio-beds at Starfleet Medical. It had been a rather slow day, a sprained ankle and a broken wrist. The only exception was a baby who’d been born breech not three hours before. Despite being born the way he was, the little boy was completely healthy.

As rewarding and challenging sometimes as it was to be a doctor, it could sometimes be a bit dull. Will wanted more of a challenge. But he hadn’t decided what he wanted to specialize in yet. The job still had its rewards, hands down over scrubbing down a plasma conduit.

Sighing, he rubbed at his eyes. He wondered how doctor’s centuries ago endured such hellish hours. Suddenly, a beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes as black as night walked in holding her arm. Will froze and stop analyzing a protein enzyme he was holding in a glass vile in his hand and stared.

His heart skipped a beat as she started walking towards him. Mentally checking himself, he cleared his throat. Get ahold of yourself Riker. You are a professional. Don’t let matters of the heart get in the way of your job.

“What can I do for you?”

The woman sat down on the bio bed and grimaced holding up her arm.

“I think I may have broken my arm.”

Riker quickly flicked his eyes to a nurse standing a few feet from him, and pointed at her.

“Can you get Miss…? What did you say your name was? I don’t think I go it?”

The woman was staring at his blue orbs with her dark ones. There was something about him she couldn’t shake. Shaking her head to clear it, her face turned slightly red.

“Deanna. Deanna Troi.”

She waited for Will to say something, he got lost in her dark eyes. He was brought out of his thoughts when the nurse next to him got his attention.

“How much Teroquine would you like me to get her doctor?”

Riker was yet again brought out of his thoughts. Either I’m distracted by this beautiful woman in front of me, or I need to get some sleep. Maybe a bit of both.

“Doctor Riker?”

Nodding his head he gave the nurse a smile and got down to business.

“Give Deanna here 10cc’s of Teroquine please and get me the bone knitter.”

The nurse came back with the Teroquine and the bone knitter Will had asked for. Deanna pulled in a breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t feeling anymore pain, but only because of the Teroquine. Riker ran the device over Troi’s arm and waited for the red light on it to turn green. The pass the few minutes it took to fix the broken bone, he struck up a conversation with his patient.

“You’re lucky this was a clean break. How’d you break your arm anyways?”

Deanna shook her head and looked at her arm.

“I was hanging a plant for a friend and I fell off the chair. Sounds pretty stupid doesn’t it?”

Will shook his head no and finished fixing Deanna’s arm.

“No, these things happen. I once broke my thumb, I was trying to close my dresser drawer, and the opening mechanism malfunctioned and crushed it. Luckily, I was able to repair my thumb. There, all done. I suggest not leaning on it for the next few days. No unintended stress. Got it?”

Deanna smiled and stood up, flexing her arm. It didn’t hurt at all.

“Thank-you for fixing my arm. If I ever need something fixed or an upset stomach, I know exactly where to find you.”

Riker smiled at Deanna’s last sentence, but it was soon gone as another nurse came up to him.

“Doctor! Gabriel’s crashing! I don’t know what’s going on with him. He was fine 10 minutes ago.”

Deanna nodded her head seriously and stepped out of the way as Will began to walk away.

“I think I’ll go now. You have your hands full. Maybe I’ll see you around?”

Before he could ask Deanna for a coffee ‘date’, the nurse again got his attention. That little boy was going to live. He had his whole life ahead of him. Two and a half hours of life, and he was already in trouble. Riker burned Deanna’s image into his brain. He’d find her, he just didn’t know when.

To Be Continued…

“I’ll have a Sumerian Sunset please.”

Riker’s eyes grew wide as Deanna sat down next to him. A slight smile spread across his face and then faltered. Deanna was suddenly caught in a whirlwind of sadness, and it was coming from Will.

“I sense great sadness from you.”

It then dawned on him that Deanna was Betazoid.

“You’re Betazoid aren’t you? I should’ve taken a better chart with you. I was so busy I didn’t take a complete history from you. One of the many things I’m not supposed to do.”

Deanna took a sip of her drink before she spoke once more.

“Only half. My father is human. Something is weighing you down. Would you like to talk about it?”

Taking a large sip from his Trakian Ale, he sighed. Shaking his head, he started his story from the beginning.

“Today wasn’t a particularly a good day. I lost two patients today. The mother was fine. The birth was a bit tricky and messy, the baby, a girl, she came out of her mother sunny side up. Her chin was down so it was restricting her airway.

I cleared her nose, her airway, everything I could think of to stabilize her condition. Nothing helped. Her mother, she passed away a few minute later, from internal bleeding. There must’ve been something I missed. But what was it?”

Deanna looked at Will in the eye and reached over and lightly touched his hand sympathetically.

“You did everything you were trained to do. Sometimes these things just happen. I think you are having some trouble coming to terms with losing these specific patients.”

Riker took another swig of his drink and shook his head.

“You sound like a Psychologist. A very good one.”

The beautiful woman next to him gave him a slight smile. Shaking her head, she took another drink. Placing the glass back on the bar top, she had a confident look on her face.

“A good doctor always cares for his or her patients, and is hit hardest when one is lost. You need to work through the layers of doctor’s guilt. It’s not easy, but I sense great strength from you. Sometimes, a strength you yourself aren’t fully aware of. And yes, I am a Psychologist.”

Riker considered Deanna’s words carefully. She was right, sometimes these things just did happen. The universe controlled things, not him. He looked at Deanna when he felt that tug again, that feeling of attraction towards her, as if he’d known her for a lifetime.

“I suppose your right. But sometimes it’s harder than others to accept. My sister Emily is a nurse at the Inuit tribal community hospital in Valdez, Alaska. I guess the two of us followed our mother. My mother Elizabeth is a medicine woman among her people, the Inuit.

She also works at the hospital. I guess you could call her a doctor. But the word is difficult to pronounce in Inuktitut. It’s the only other language I know besides a smattering of Klingon. My father, well let’s just say, mama has a hard time diffusing arguments between the two of us. What about you?”

Troi sighed and took another sip of her drink. If this had been three centuries ago in the same bar, she would have been more than tipsy by now.

“My father is a Starfleet captain of the U.S.S Tlahuac. He’s out patrolling the neutral zone at the moment. My sister Kestra is a music teacher at one of the primary schools on Betazed. Then there is my mother. My mother is an ambassador to Betazed. Let’s just say she can be quite forward with some people.”

Riker looked at Deanna’s left arm and then smiled at her.

“How’s your arm?”

Deanna shook her head and laughed a little.

“Still on duty I see, even when you’re off. A little stiff and sore, but I’m dealing with it.”

Will drummed his fingers on the bar top and swallowed.

“What do you say we go for a walk? It’s a calm night out.”

Deanna didn’t know why, but she couldn’t say no to the man sitting next to her. Rising from her chair, Will offered his arm and she hooked her right hand in it.

She didn’t understand it, but she felt completely safe with him. There was a spark growing, and the two were getting closer. What could Will Riker do for Deanna? Nothing too silly on a first date.

To Be Continued…

It was a surprisingly clear night, a bit of a chill in the air, but at least the fog wasn’t crowding the bay. Riker actually liked the chilly air of San Francisco. It reminded him of home. Deanna had her left hand on Riker’s forearm and was enjoying how the moonlight was shining on him.

“I guess the reason why San Francisco attracted me was because it’s so much like home. The crisp and cool air is just so invigorating.”

Deanna wrapped her arms around herself as a chill set itself down to her core. Riker saw that she was cold and offered his coat.

“You’re cold Deanna. Here take my coat. I have my sweater. How much a difference in temperature is it on Betazed?”

Will slipped his too big coat over Deanna’s shoulders and she once again hooked her arm around his.

“Oh about 40 degrees Celsius. Give or take a few degrees.”

Smiling, he took in her every feature, the moonlight was making her look more beautiful. Will made a gesture of trying to fan himself.

“Uw, that hot huh? I’ve always wondered what it would be like in a warm climate. I’ve yet to visit Risa.”

Deanna ducked her head shyly and look out onto the bay.

“Well, Risa is climate controlled. For maximum tourist comfort.”

Will laughed at the woman next to him.

“You sound like a computer bank. A very beautiful computer bank.”

Troi blushed and looked up at the moon.

“The moon is beautiful tonight isn’t it?”

A toothy smile spread across Riker’s face as he turned his attention to the moon.

“Almost a harvest moon. I once saw a harvest moon so huge that it looked like it was sitting on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. The harvest moons in Alaska are just as beautiful, and it makes the snow look like glistening diamonds. My mother and I used to play in the snow and have snowball fights at night during a harvest moon. She said it’s the best time to be outside, because you can hear all the animal life in the distance.”

Riker had his right hand behind his back. He looked Deanna in the eye and his smile went all the way up to his eyes this time.

“A purple rose just for you. Do you like it?”

Deanna gingerly held the petals up to her nose and smelled it gently.

“It’s beautiful. Thank-you Will. On Betazed, we have the most beautiful rose gardens. All shades of the rainbow.”

A full-fledged smile spread across Will’s face as they kept walking. He was going to do something special for her. He led her away from the walkway that was just under the Golden Gate Bridge and onto a path that led to a large building. Will covered Deanna’s eyes and led her through the building. Deanna stiffened a moment and firmly planted her feet on the ground, which made Riker hesitate.

“Where are we going?”

Will smiled warmly and kept his hand over her eyes.

“It’s a good surprise I promise. Just follow the sound of my voice. It’s not far.”

Deanna did as Will asked and followed. Wherever she was now, it was definitely warmer than the chill of the San Francisco air. Will uncovered her eyes.

“Ok, open your eyes. I think you are going to like this place.”

A warm smile adorned Deanna’s face and she opened up her eyes. Her eyes focused on all the different colors of roses in the room.

“What is this place?”

Will took her hand and led her around the building.

“An indoor rose garden. An airponic bay. It’s too cold to grow roses here, so they grow them indoors. I made arrangements with the man who runs this place, pick any color you’d like. You can make different color bouquets with it.”

There were just so many colors to choose from. Deanna was careful while she picked each color shade of rose. She picked a purple, red, orange, white, yellow, green and blue. All of them seemed to complement each other. She hadn’t noticed she’d pricked her finger on one of the thorns until Will said something.

“Your finger is bleeding. Here let me fix that.”

Riker pulled a device from his pocket and ran it over Deanna’s finger. The prick to her finger healed immediately. She flexed her index finger and smiled.

“That’s better, thank-you Will. I should’ve been careful when picking these roses.”

Will put a hand on hers and kissed it. Deanna blushed slightly and continued rearranging the roses into a nice little bouquet.

“I’m used to fixing little cuts and scrapes on children. Older children break bones playing Parises Squares. I patch them up and send them on their way. I’ve got something special planned for tomorrow night. That is if you’ll have me? I mean if you’ll go on a second date.”

Will had stuck his foot in his mouth and focused on the colorful arrangement of flowers in front of him. A deeper blush crept across Troi’s face and she looked back at her bouquet.

“I’ll have to think about it Will. I’ll let you know. It’s getting quite late, I should be getting back home.”

Riker smiled, he’d only be too happy to bring her back home.

“I’d be happy to take you home Deanna, just tell me your address.”

A chill was starting to settle in deep in her bones and she shivered under Will’s coat.

“There’s a transport not too far from here. With the transport I’m four blocks from here. I just don’t pass this way too often during the day.”

Together the two walked out of the indoor rose garden and towards the transport station. Once onboard the transport, Deanna kept smelling the roses in her bouquet, almost hiding her face in them. It was only 10 minutes before they arrived at their intended stop.

Getting off, Riker took Deanna by the arm and she led the way to her apartment. It was in one of the old neighborhoods that’d been retrofitted during the last earthquake. It was a small apartment with a small planter box out front with a few flowers. Smiling back at Will she looked into his eyes.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight. I had wonderful time tonight…”

Will felt a little unsure how to proceed next, so, he quickly gave a kiss to her right cheek and excusing himself, bidding her goodnight.

“Goodnight, and I had a really good time with you tonight.”

Deanna waved goodbye to Will and closed the door. He would take his time with her, go as slow as she wanted. He wasn’t a man who rushed things.

To Be Continued…

“We need all doctors to report to the 4500 block of Main Street, there’s been some sort of explosion and it’s leveled several houses.”

Riker’s heart was beating wildly in his chest, but he was a professional, he had to remain calm and help those who needed him. There was going to be a lot of wounded. He hoped Deanna was alright.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were several large piles of debris and rubble when Riker arrived at the 4500 block of Main Street. Will began digging, he was afraid of what he was going to find. He heard a woman crying, so he decided to call out.

“It’s alright, we’re here to help you. I’m a doctor. I’m Doctor Riker. Can you tell me you’re name?”

He could tell the woman was struggling under the rubble. He could almost reach out for her hand. Finally grasping her fingers, he tried reassuring her. Riker could hear a muffled cry, of what he was sure was her name.

“Cara. Cara Martins. Please get me out! My baby isn’t moving! Please!”

Will became afraid, but he had to keep his professional demeanor up. Swallowing he cleared his throat and grasped her fingers gently.

“Everything’s going to be alright. We’ll get you out. We’re going to make sure that you and your baby have the best chance possible. Now, how far out are you from your due date?”

He was still removing rocks and debris, and he could now hear her voice more clearly.

“I still have 8 weeks to go…”

Clearing even more rocks away from the pile, he could see Cara’s face, blond hair matted to her head and crystal clear blue eyes staring back at Riker

“Alright, we’re working as fast as we can to get you out. Don’t struggle. Are you feeling contractions? Abdominal pain? Back pain?”

Cara couldn’t move, but she kept talking to Riker, hoping that they were going to free her from the tomb she was in.

“I think I’ve had a couple of contractions, but I’m not sure.”

He wished he could just simply beam her out. But with all the debris, it just wasn’t possible. The more rock and debris Riker moved away from the downed houses around him, it was getting easier to reach Cara. Finally, he could see her entire body coming into view.

She had scratches on most of her body and a large gash on her head. She tried moving, but Will put a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place.

“It’s best if you don’t move until we know the extent of your injuries. Once we know that you’re in good condition we’ll beam you directly to Starfleet Medical. May I get your permission to examine you?”

Cara nodded her head and closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath and let it out. Scanning her with a medical tricorder, he shook his head. He was surprised she was still alive. She had internal bleeding among other things.

“So how am I doc? What’s the prognosis? How’s my little girl?”

Three questions he knew he had to answer and they weren’t going to be easy.

“Well right now not so good, you’ll need exploratory surgery to see where the bleeding is coming from. We’ll need to also perform an emergency C-section to get your daughter out safely. You have a placental tear.”

Cara blinked back a few tears. Then she looked around her, a worried expression on her face.

“What’s wrong? Does something else hurt?”

Shaking her head fear began to cloud her eyes.

“Please my neighbor, she’s trapped under here too somewhere.”


Will’s breath hitched in his throat slightly, but he remained calm.

“What’s your neighbor’s name?”

Swallowing once more Cara looked upward and shook her head no.

“Deanna. Deanna Troi.”

He nodded his head seriously and looked to two nurses that had an anti grav stretcher handy. Placing Cara on it, they took her away. He began digging in a different spot, moving debris and rocks, looking for any sign of Deanna. He’d find her, if it was the last thing he did. He wasn’t going to give up on her. She was under the rubble, and she needed his help.

To Be Continued…

“Ok Cara, everything’s going to be alright. We’ve given you a local anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain from the waist down. The nurses and I will have your daughter out in just a minute. What I need for you to do is relax and take a deep breath. You’re going to feel some tugging for the next few minutes, but otherwise, this should be a piece of cake.”

Will wasn’t sure he believed his own words though. Even if he got Cara’s baby out, she was still bleeding internally. She’d need exploratory surgery to find out where all the bleeding was coming from. He got ahold of himself when he saw his right hand with the laser scalpel in it begin to shake.

Riker had done several C-sections before, but this one wasn’t sitting quite right with him. Concentration was absolutely key to both the mother and child. Regardless of the anesthetic, Cara was a mess. She was growing more hysterical by the minute, and the nurses were
having a harder time controlling her.

“Please! Get my baby out!”

The nurses were doing their best to keep her calm, but she was squirming. Will kept his cool and looked Cara straight in the eye.

“Cara listen to me, I know that you’re very scared right now, but I need you to stay calm. We are doing everything we can to get your daughter out safely. Now, just lie back and relax. Just keep breathing. There you go, that’s it.”

He watched her for a moment as she lifted her head up, gripping the sides of the surgical bed. Riker could tell she was straining.

“My daughter needs to come out!”

A nurse wiped the sweat away from Cara’s head and tried to help her calm down. But to no avail. Will did his best to keep convincing her of the situation at hand.

“Cara look at me, I don’t want you to push honey. I know that’s what your body is telling you to do is natural, but I don’t want you to push. Here, I’ll tell you what, this is what I’m going to do: I’m going to make an incision in your stomach, and then down into your uterus, I’ll break your water and then we’ll pull your daughter out. It’ll only take me a minute, maybe less.”

But something was telling him to stop what he was doing. Red flags were popping up everywhere in his mind. A nurse by Cara’s feet had wide eyes suddenly and she turned her gaze to Riker.

“Doctor, I think you should take a look at this.”

Will placed the laser scalpel back down on the tray next to the surgical bed and approached the nurse by Cara’s feet.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. She’s completely dilated to 10 centimeters. This baby is going to need to come up for air soon. Get Doctor Sartos in here, we’re going to need a hand with this one.”

Another nurse scurried away as Will and two nurses assessed the situation in front of them. This was going to be a bit difficult. A few minutes later, the same nurse came back with another doctor, but not the one Riker had asked for.

“Sorry Doctor Riker, Doctor Sartos is on vacation with his wife on Risa. But I did find Doctor Crusher for you.”

The redhead smiled at Will and got down to business.

“I gotta hand it to you Will, you find the most difficult case and take it. A lot like me. Now, how’s Cara’s blood pressure?”

A nurse looked at the monitor just behind her.

“Her pressure’s holding for now doctor. Baby’s heart rate is holding steady at 137. But she’s going to need to come out for air quickly.”

Bev nodded her head and looked at Will seriously.

“We’re going to have to move quickly Will, its starting to look like this baby is trying to come out breech and sunny side up. Cara’s already got local and an epidural onboard?”

Will nodded and helped both nurses and Bev. He felt like he was holding his breath as they got the baby out. As soon as he heard the first cry, he let the breath out. But they weren’t out of the dark yet. Cara still needed exploratory surgery. Swallowing he looked to Bev once more.

“I’m going to check on Deanna, can you get Doctor Canton to take over for me?”

Crusher nodded at Riker and waved him off.

“Go Will, but next time you decide to take a surgery, you take it, and finish it. I’ll call Doctor Canton and let him know we need an extra pair of hands in here.”

Will knew that Bev was not one to mess with when she got angry. He often wondered how she did it as he left to change back into his uniform. Taking care of a teenage son and had one more on the way. Riker shook his head. Jack must have his hands full.

After changing into a clean uniform, he made his way out into the private room the emergency team had brought Deanna. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he entered the room. He pulled up her record on the computer screen above her head. Reading it aloud, he grimaced at her injuries.

“Broken nose, fractured pelvis, broken left foot, lacerated spleen which was removed, and broken cheekbone.”

He sat in a chair by her side, and didn’t leave. It was six hours before she was finally awake. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tried grasping at Will’s hand.

“What happened?”

Will put his index finger to her lips to shush her comfortingly.

“Shh. It’s best of you didn’t talk right now. You’re at Starfleet Medical. There was some sort of explosion in your neighborhood and both your apartment and several others collapsed. You sustained some injuries, but we’ve fixed you up.

You broke your nose, fractured your pelvis, broke your left foot, your spleen was lacerated so we had to remove it, it became inflamed. And you broke your right cheekbone. You can thank Doctor Crusher for her handiwork. She patched you up.”

Deanna got a worried look on her face. But Will knew what she was going to ask before she could open her mouth.

“Your neighbor Cara is doing just fine. She delivered a healthy little girl which she named Hope 6 hours ago and both are doing beautifully. You on the other hand need more rest. We’d like to keep you here for at least a week. You’re going to be sore for a little while, but you’re alive.”

Deanna nodded and gave a faint smile. Alive, that she was. She felt that strange pulling, but this time it was like an electrical shock. She was sure this was a sign that maybe she’d found her true love.

To Be Continued…

“Don’t worry, the bruising will go away. How are you feeling?”

Riker had handed Deanna a small hand mirror and she was looking at the bruising with on her cheek. Touching her cheek she winced a little.

“Sore. But I’m managing. Bev looks tired. She should really be taking it easy.”

Will nodded his head and sighed, taking Troi’s hand. He’d been so worried about her while she’d been unconscious, even when the emergency team brought her in.

“I know, Eric and I and Doctor Canton have been trying to get her to slow down. She’s only got four weeks until her due date.”

But they both knew Bev, she was very stubborn. She worked down to the bone. When she wanted to get things done, she stayed until she was finished. Troi sighed and watched as her friend came towards her.

“How are you feeling Deanna? It’s good to see you’re awake.”

He checked himself mentally and watched as Bev waddled to Deanna’s bed.

“I’m fine Bev. It’s you I’m worried about. Have you eaten anything today? You look unusually pale. Will told me you collapsed in the middle of surgery yesterday. You need to take it easy. For you, and for your daughter.”

Bev only nodded her head as she checked the screen above Deanna’s head taking her vitals. Not taking any chances, Will opened up a drawer next to Deanna’s bed and pulled out a small monitor. Looking into Bev’s equally clear blue orbs, he frowned.

“Give me your hand.”

Crusher only rolled her eyes at Will and gave him her right hand. Sighing, he kept looking at her.

“I’m serious Bev. I need you to keep this monitor on for the next 48 hours. No showering. Sponge bath.”

Bev crinkled her nose and shook her head no.

“Absolutely not Will. I’m not coming to work all smelly. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve only got four weeks to go, and when it’s time for me to go to Labor and Delivery, Doctor Canton will do a fine job delivering my daughter.”

Crusher bit her lip when she remembered. Shaking her head as an afterthought, she groaned inwardly.

“Oh that’s right, Doctor Canton is on Sabbatical, starting today. That means I’m left with you.”

It wasn’t an accusation, it was more of a playful remark. Will had thought of Bev like another sister. She had more to add to her last sentence, she’d been taking care of herself as best as she could, but she sometimes forgot to eat.

“I have no doubts of the care you’ll give me Will. You know, you surprise me that you haven’t chosen a specialty yet. You’ve got the fine markings of an excellent OBGYN and a Pediatrician. But ultimately, it’s up to you which one you pick. Which do you feel more comfortable with? Treating children? Or helping women and their babies?”

Riker scratched his chin for a moment. Both suit me well. But I’ve got to pick one.

“I would have to pick helping women and their babies. For me there’s always been that certain joy when you
bring a child into the world, knowing that you helped bring them into the world, there just isn’t much to describe how good it makes you feel as a physician.”

Bev gave Will a warm smile and leaned against the bio bed next to the one Deanna was lying in.

“That’s what we went to medical school for Will, to help the injured and heal the sick, I would describe bringing children into the world as Euphoric.”

Will smiled once more, then turned serious. He watched the monitor on her hand blinking and shook his head.

“Don’t make me order you on bed rest Bev. I’m being serious here. Go and get something to eat. If not for yourself, at least for Carmen.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will hadn’t seen Bev for awhile and he knew that she was still on duty. Sometimes she’d disappear into one of the empty patient rooms and put her feet up while sitting on the bed for a while. Doctor Canton had handed off several patients to the both of them. Riker had been tasked to find Bev to look at a baby with a runny nose and a cough.

“Bev, there’s a 7 month old with a runny nose and a cough waiting in bed 3.”

The empty bed made him pause. Looking around at first, he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. His mind was on Deanna, until he went around the other side of the bed. He found Bev crumpled on the floor. His mind went into overdrive and he pressed a button on the screen above the bed. He heard her moan a little and leaned down over her.

“Bev if you can hear me, I don’t want you to move.”

Bev only moaned. Now with an extra set of hands, it would be easier to assess the situation. All professional mode, Will looked at the monitors, now flashing red and at the monitor on Bev’s right hand.

“Put her up on the bed and get some fluids into her. Make sure she’s lying on her side, and call somebody down here from OB.”

Shutting his eyes and then opening them up again when he realized he was talking about himself.

“Never mind. That would be me. I forgot I’m doing my rotation with OB. When she wakes, get her to eat some food. Draw some amniotic fluid, and keep an eye on her blood pressure.”

This was shaping out to be one of those days he wasn’t sure he understood. Once he was sure Bev was stable, he gave a tired smile to several nurses in the room and two other doctors that were fairly new to medical and he’d forgotten their names.

Walking out of the room, he blew out a breath and shook his head, he now needed to call Jack and Wesley.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Did you find Bev Will?”

Will nodded as he pulled up a chair next to Deanna.

“I found her in one of the empty patient rooms collapsed on the floor. I had to admit her. Her blood pressure was pretty low. I’ve got her on fluids and when she wakes up, I’ll get her to eat something. And I just treated a baby in room 3 with a cold and an ear infection. What I’d like to do right now, is crawl into bed and sleep.”

Deanna motioned for him to come closer to her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he felt her hands getting the knots out of his shoulders. Will quickly stood up as he saw Wes and Jack in the hallway.

“I’ll be right back Deanna.”

Troi nodded her head and Riker got to his feet and wandered towards the doorway.

“Where is she Doctor Riker?”

He could tell Jack was uneasy about the situation, and Wes had worry lines on his forehead.

“I’ll take you to her. She’s in room 5. I found her passed out on the floor next to the bed. We’re not sure at this point yet if she fell and hit her head, or if she just collapsed. We’re still running some tests to rule out a concussion. Her blood pressure was pretty low.

But we’ve got it back up to normal levels now, and she’s on fluids. The baby is doing fine, showing good respiratory movements and strong reflexes. She does however need to eat something if she’s awake. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

Leading both Wesley and Jack into the room, he stood back at the door for a moment and listened to Wes speak to his mother.

“Mama? Are you alright?”

Will gave Bev and her family a moment talk while he waited and tried not to listen out in the hallway.

“Honey you’ve got to eat something. Nurse can you get her a bowl of soup please?”

One of the nurses scurried out of the room towards one of the replicators to get Bev a bowl of soup. Clearing his throat, Will walked into the room slowly.

“Glad to see your awake Bev. How are you feeling?”

Bev looked to her husband and squeezed his hand.

“A little tired. How’s Carmen?”

Will pulled up a screen on the wall and showed her a live view of the little girl growing inside her.

“Good respiratory movements, excellent reflexes. Muscle tone looks good. The amniotic fluid sample we took from you is crystal clear. There doesn’t seem to be any ruptured membranes and no sign of abruption. I need you to take it easy for the next few days. If you feel any kind of abdominal pain or experience any bleeding, you come and see me right away.”

Bev snorted at Will and leaned back into the pillow on the bed. Shaking her head she spoke.

“Already speaking as if you work for OB. I’ll be sure to recommend you for this year’s open spot.”

Riker only smiled and shook his head.

“Only doing my job Bev. I’ve got four weeks left on my rotation. My last day is your due date. Looks like you are stuck with me.”

Bev laughed and shifted in the bed and looked Will in the eye.

“Well, let’s see if you can break my record this year. You’ve delivered 95 babies. I’ve delivered almost a year’s worth. I’m ten short at 355. Let’s start a pool. If you hit let’s say 165 by Christmas, Jack here will get you a bottle of Tequila. The real stuff.”

Riker’s eyes lit up. It’d been a long time since he’d had anything remotely real. The last time he’d visited Kiev he’d had real Vodka.

Maybe he’d share it with his sister, she was going through a rough patch right now, since her husband had up and left her. But something told him, that might not be such a good idea. Banking the thought for later reflection he turned back to Bev once again.

“I may share it with my sister. You’ve got yourself a deal Bev. There is one more thing I need to do with you before I do my rounds. Just relax.”

Rolling her eyes at Will, she looked up at the screen and traced the spot where Carmen’s head was.

“Ouch. Will that’s tender right there. I don’t know how much longer my stomach is going to keep expanding. I already feel like a Hippo. Are you sure that Carmen’s alright?”

Riker nodded his head, sincerity written clearly on his face.

“I’m sorry, I know that’s sore right there. Carmen is doing fine. She may be jumping the gun a little, she’s already decided to turn and is facing head down. You know, I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news Bev, but that little fall of yours caused you to dilate to 6 centimeters.

You’ll need to be on bed rest. Now I know you know the risks of pregnancy, but a little rest should help stop the dilating. If we can’t stop it and your daughter becomes distressed we’ll have to induce, now I know you don’t want that. Now hopefully, with a week of rest, it will completely reverse the process.”

Bev’s eyes grew dark and she shook her head no. Crossing her arms over her chest she let Jack feed her the last of her soup. Swallowing, she looked Will straight in the eye.

“Oh Will, you put a damper on the party sometimes. Well I guess this means that this afternoon’s bowel resection is out then.”

Riker frowned but his eyes showed sympathy.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Carlston will take care of that resection for you. I’ve already informed him that you have something of a personal nature to take care of and you will be off duty for a week.”
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“Will, you look really tired. You should get some rest.”

Riker was tired, but there was that strange ‘magnetic pull’ tugging at him. He didn’t realize that it was the same pull that was currently affecting Deanna. Before either of them knew what was happening, they found each other in the deepest kiss neither of them were willing to part with. When they finally came up for air, he saw that Deanna’s face was bright red with embarrassment. Clearing her throat, she looked down. Will shook his head and look Deanna in the eye.

“I’m sorry, we’re moving too fast. I uh, I shouldn’t have done that.”

The red flush of her face had disappeared and she took the plunge, she began kissing him again. She wasn’t resisting the pull this time, when she came up for air again, her face wasn’t red this time. A smile adorned her face.

“No, I think we’re moving at just the right speed.”

Riker smiled and a thought crossed his mind. Alright, medium speed it is.

To Be Continued…

Will smiled at a woman who was pregnant with twins in front of him as her husband helped her off the bio-bed.

“I’ll see you in a week Mrs. Riley. I’d suggest you stay away from certain flowers.”

Mrs. Riley flashed a cheeky smile at her husband and shook her head.

“It was John’s idea. He was thinking he could be romantic in the bedroom.”

Riker only shut his eyes for a moment and then opened them shaking his head. Leaning in, he whispered to the couple.

“Well, those particular flower petals hold the same kind of enzymes found in chile peppers. When coming into contact with the skin it’ll cause rashes, and in your case a mild UTI. Stay away from them. That goes for both of you.”

Mr. and Mrs. Riley nodded their heads and started walking away. As they went out the door Deanna walked in, she looked like she was in some pain. Will quickly went over towards the door and guided her to an unoccupied bio-bed.

“Deanna, you don’t look so good. What’s the matter?”

Shaking her head, she let Will help her up onto the bio-bed and winced.

“I don’t know. I’ve been having these really bad cramps the last couple of days.”

Leaning in with the tricorder Riker whispered to Deanna.

“Ok, when was your last period?”

Normally Deanna didn’t get embarrassed about questions, but this one was a little personal.

“A week ago.”

Mentally Riker blew out a breath. He didn’t like asking the next question, even though it did involve him.

“I’m sorry I have to ask these questions if we suspect a woman might be pregnant. When was the last time you were intimate?”

Deanna’s face grew bright red, but then disappeared.

“Two nights ago, but then again, you should know, you were there.”

Will nodded his head and tried to keep a straight-serious face.

“Ok, I’m sorry, I have to ask you one more question: Have you experienced any bleeding?”

Deanna yet again shook her head no.

“No, but these cramps don’t seem to be going away.

Will scanned Deanna from the top of her head down to her feet.

“Well, since the tricorder is telling me you’re not pregnant, those abdominal cramps you’re having don’t coincide with a miscarriage. Wait a minute, there’s something strange going on here.”

He brought up a visual on the screen behind Deanna and zoomed in. She could feel his worry and it was almost knocking her over.

“What is it?”

Shaking his head seriously, he mentally slapped himself for missing this crucial, yet almost unidentifiable clue.

“Son of a bitch, I can’t believe I missed it. There’s a piece of shrapnel embedded inside your uterus. You’re bleeding internally. We’ll have to do surgery on you immediately to get it out and stop the bleeding. It’s about 3 centimeters long.”

Deanna’s face got paler, but she knew she was in good hands. Will would take care of her. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach, and vomited on the floor next to the bed. Now it was Riker’s turn to look scared, his face pale as a ghost.

“Need some help over here! Deanna needs to get into surgery immediately!”

Nurses went here and there gathering the much needed supplies for the surgery. Will was frightened, he just hoped that with his practiced hand, she’d come out of the surgery alright.
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“My god, I can’t see anything in here, it’s like something went off… All this bleeding for one piece of 3 centimeter shrapnel. More suction please.”

A doctor beside Will, by the name of Ray Carnon spoke up as he suctioned out the blood to make a clear field in which to work.

“So, this is your girlfriend. You always had an eye for beauty. Personally, I say keep her. You two would make beautiful children.”

Will shot a quick look at Ray and had daggers for eyes.

“Since when did my personal life become the gossip during a surgery? Two, that’s really none of your business Ray what Deanna and I do on our off time and privately.”

Ray sighed at Will and shook his head.

“What is the matter with you Will? You’ve been moody lately. Is she that bad in bed?”

Riker gawked at his best friend. Now he was getting too personal. Work was work, and he didn’t like to mix his personal with it.

“Ray for the last time, can we please not talk about my personal life? Let’s just focus on the patient huh? Ok, I can see the piece of shrapnel, forceps please.”

A nurse placed a pair of forceps into Will’s left hand and he gently plucked the piece of shrapnel from the incision he’d made into her uterus. The fact that she was still bleeding profusely was cause for deep concern.

“Deanna’s A- blood type, let’s get a transfusion started. We don’t want her going into DIC.”

Riker worked faster, he wasn’t going to lose Deanna. She was the best thing that’d ever happen to him. He wasn’t going to panic, he could do this, and he was going to save her. But he had to admit, now on her third blood transfusion, she was losing blood as fast as the team of doctors and nurses could give it.

“I’m not letting you give up on me. You stay with me, you understand?”

Will ignored all the stares from the other doctors. He was doing his job exactly the way he was supposed to.
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“Good you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Deanna pushed herself up on her elbows.

“Still hurting a little. What are you going to do?”

Riker’s eyes held compassion, but not to the point of pity. No, he was remaining professional. Troi swallowed and looked him in the eye. His voice was warm and comforting.

“I need to make sure that there isn’t any more hemorrhaging. I will warn you, this is a bit uncomfortable, there are some things that are easier to detect with a physical exam than with the tricorder. I need you to relax. There you go. Let me know if you feel any pain when I press down on your abdomen and Carrie here will get you some Teroquine.”

Deanna swallowed and stiffened a little. I don’t know which is worse, the pain on the outside, or the inside.

“Ouch, right there. Same spot inside and out.”

Riker nodded his head and nodded for Carrie to get Deanna the Teroquine. Carrie smiled and pressed the hypospray against Troi’s neck. Deanna felt better almost instantly.

“The Teroquine should make the difference. I want to keep you here another couple of days. You’ve got laser stitching in three places. When I pulled the shrapnel out, little flakes of it kept breaking off. But you have my word that we got all of it out. I have five other doctors and a slew of nurses that can vouch for that. You rest now, there’s no sign of any more hemorrhaging. I’ll be back to check on you later.”

By now the nurse had left the room, and he leaned in to kiss Deanna.

“We’ll have to settle for making out right now, until you’re completely better.”

Deanna smirked and shook her head, holding in a laugh.

“You really know how to treat a lady.”

Will had saved Deanna’s life again. He’d do just about anything for her. He hoped that they would get through to the next stage of their relationship, however long that took.

To Be Continued…

“Where is he?”

Bev’s voice echoed out into the hallway and towards the office of Max Tarlinson. He was the CMO currently at Starfleet Medical. Bev was set to take his place in three more years. Right now he was giving a pretty harsh dressing down to Riker.

“You know you are never supposed to walk out in the middle of surgery! Honestly Will, I’m appalled at why you would do such a thing! What would’ve happened if Cara Martins had bled out during surgery? Or her daughter Hope had suffocated from lack of oxygen before you could get her safely out of her mother’s womb? We would have had a major malpractice suit placed on us…”

Tarlinson and Riker were interrupted by Bev who stood in the doorway.

“He knew what he was doing Max. Now will you excuse Will, or do I have to deliver this baby in your doorway?”

Will about scrambled to his feet but kept his cool and got up, taking Bev by the arm and leading her out of Tarlinson’s office.

“Take your time, we’re in no hurry.”

Will had given her a private room so that she could have some space for herself. He saw Wes stand from his seat next to the bed. The younger Crusher was there beside his mother on the left to help her back to her bed. He looked Riker in the eyes and stood his ground.

“I want to be here for my sister’s birth. I won’t leave my mom.”

Both Crusher and Riker locked eyes for a few seconds before Will could answer.

“You know the rules Wes. 16 is when you can be allowed in the room during the birth of a family member. You’re not 16 yet.”

Will could see irritation clearly written on Wes’ face. Wes looked to his mother as pain etched itself across her face and planted itself there. Swallowing his fear when he began to hear his mother scream, he took her hand.

“I’ll be 16 next week. I can handle it. I promise not to get in the way.”

Riker was walking on a thin layer of ice right now. He was treading it with steel-toed shoes and the weight of a full grown grizzly.

“Doctor Tarlinson wouldn’t allow it. I could lose my job. He won’t have a problem with you sitting in the observation room though. Just stay where your mother’s head is. Got it?”

Wes nodded his head and went into the observation room and took a seat. He could hear everything Riker was saying to his mother.

“Bev I need you to relax. This’ll only take a minute.”

Will saw Bev wince and gave her a sympathetic frown.

“I know that’s tender, I’m sorry.”

Bev gave an exasperated sigh to Will and shook her head.

“All part of the process Will. But I don’t think you’d like it if you were in my shoes and I had my hands somewhere that was very uncomfortable would you?”

Riker shook his head no and fixed the blankets over Bev.

“If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t pretend that it wasn’t uncomfortable. You are doing just fine. Just a couple of more centimeters to go. Now you rest. I’ll be back to check on you…”

But Bev threw the blankets back and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“Apparently you don’t know me that well Will, I really don’t like to be idle during labor. With an epidural onboard I’m pretty much set. All I need is time.”

Riker nodded and stood up, a warm smile on his face.

“Ok, I’ll give you some space. Have Carrie here get you anything you need. Call me when you need me. Shouldn’t be more than 30 or 40 more minutes.”

Bev nodded her head and grabbed for Jack’s hands. Will could see her shaking with pain. He knew that the epidural would only numb the pain slightly, but it wouldn’t make it go away.

“Would you like some more local Bev? I can get you a little more if you’d like. Sometimes massaging the lower back helps with the pain during contractions.”

Will nodded his head when Bev shot him a death glare.

“Would you like to experience some of this pain? I don’t think you would!”

Riker took everything in stride. He’d seen dozens of women yell at him lately, and all had endured what Bev was going through right now.

“I’ll be back to check on you in half an hour. Just yesterday I had an Andorian woman get very upset with me because I tried to help her lie down while she delivered. Then she tried to bite me. She ended up squatting on the floor and delivering her son and her daughter that way.”

Bev shook her head and gave a smile.

“Some Andorian women don’t like sitting or lying down when they give birth to their children. A few prefer squatting. You could’ve asked me that, I would’ve told you.”

Now it was Riker’s turn to shake his head.

“I’ll remember that for next time. Call me the minute you need me. I’ll be back.”

Bev nodded as Will began to walk away. Walking into the room next door he looked to the worried nurse at the end of the bed Mrs. Riley was lying on.

“Doctor Riker, Jessica is insisting on more local. She’s in a lot of pain.”

Will looked to the screen monitoring Jessica Riley and her twins. He worried about the complications that might arise, especially when there were multiple children involved. Clearing his throat he squeezed Jessica’s hand.

“Ok Jessica, I’m going to give you some more local alright? That should help a little more with the pain.”

Jessica nodded, but looked frightened.

“Will it make the pain go away?”

Riker shook his head no as he pressed the hypospray against her neck.

“No, but it will dull it a little more. What I’d like you to do when you get to 10 centimeters is to hold your knees as high as you can get them above your head. Old-fashioned pain management. I don’t know exactly why or how it works, but doctors have been telling their patients that for the last four centuries. Now just lie back and relax. The local should help works its magic alongside that epidural I gave you.”

Jessica Riley finally gave a confident smile and leaned back against her pillows on her bed. She squeezed Riker’s hand before he left.

“You have a real way with women Doctor Riker.”

Jessica’s husband John glared at Riker. Will only gave her a smile.

“I’ve got a girlfriend. Besides, I just help women and their babies. You’re at 6 centimeters. Another two and a half to three hours to go before your son makes his appearance. Just rest. I’ll be back to check on you soon. Your daughter won’t be too far behind after that.”

John and Jessica nodded. John seemed satisfied with Riker’s explanation and his sincerity. He shook hands with Will to bury the hatchet.

“Thank-you Doctor Riker. I’m sorry I got angry with you. It’s just in the past we’ve had problems with other doctors with the births of our other four children. We lost them all. They were all stillborn. The first one, she had knots in her umbilical cord, the second had the cord wrapped around her neck, and she suffocated. The other two suffered a blood clot in the lungs.”

Will shook his head and placed a hand on John’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry John. If there is anything else I can do, just let me know. The two of you have nothing to worry about. I won’t let anything happen to the three of you.”

Jessica looked a little less worried and smiled.

“I’m in good hands then.”

Nodding he made his way back to Bev’s room. On the other side of the door he had a surprise waiting for him. As he entered the room, he had to stop himself from gasping in surprise. He looked to Carrie who about half-dragged him over to the bed where Bev was lying.

“Whoa! Looks like someone is eager to come and greet her family!”

From the corner of his eye he could see Wes pacing back and forth and then sat down on the far side of the observation room. Carrie was ready with the blanket in hand while Riker carefully and gently guided Carmen to the outside world.

“Good strong cry! That’s what we like to hear! Good reflexes and eye movement…”

Carrie cleaned Carmen up and placed her atop her mother’s chest with the blanket around her. Bev smiled down at Carmen and laughed a little when she made a small noise of what sounded like a happy gurgle.

“Hi Carmen. I’m your mommy.”

Will smiled and cleared his throat. He heard Wes’ voice behind him behind the glass of the observation room.

“May I come in now doctor?”

Smiling once again he turned to Wes and nodded his head.

“Yes of course. But stay by your mom’s head.”

Wes nodded and all but jogged into the room. Now by his mother’s side, he carefully placed his index finger inside his little sister’s outstretched tiny hand.

“Hi Carmen, I’m your big brother Wesley. There are so many things I want to show you as you grow up. I’ll do everything in my power as your big brother to protect you.”

Carmen cooed at Wes and curled her tiny fingers around his index finger and didn’t let go.
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“Mama? I’m home.”

Will had decided to bring Deanna up to Alaska to meet his parents. He knew his mother would like Deanna right away. His sister, most definitely. He wasn’t so sure about his father. His mother Elizabeth came into the living room from the kitchen.

“Finally! Will! You’ve been gone awhile! Why haven’t you been home for a long time my little soaring eagle?
I’m sorry son, I’m being rude, this must be Deanna.”

Deanna smiled graciously at Elizabeth and shook hands. Elizabeth folded her into a hug and when she pulled back she gave her a smile that matched Will’s.

“It’s very nice to meet you Mrs. Riker.”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“You can call me Elizabeth or yellow lily if you’d like. My son has told me so much about you. Maybe this time he’ll want to settle down, raise a family.”

Deanna gave a nervous smiled and smoothed out an invisible wrinkle on her coat. Will’s face turned red as he looked his mother in the eye.

“Ma!”

Elizabeth made a motion to the couch where Will’s younger sister Emily sat hands resting over a slight baby belly.

“Well I guess sharing my bottle of tequila with you is out of the question. What did Marcus say when you told him about the baby?”

Emily fidgeted in her seat.

“He left. He said he just wanted it to be us. He said it was either us or he was leaving. I chose my baby over him. I haven’t heard from him since.”

Will threaded his hand in his sisters.

“I’m sorry Em. I never liked Marcus anyways. But you have all of us. You have mama, Uncle Jacob, grandmother, grandfather, and even dad.”

Emily only snorted at Will.

“Yeah, and how much has dad been here for us over the last 20 plus years?”

Elizabeth quickly changed the subject.

“Deanna, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

Deanna smiled and followed Elizabeth into the kitchen.

“I’d love to, thank-you.”